The Baltimore County union., 1887-07-30
SCIENTIFIC MISCELLANY.
BURDENS OF CRABS.

As crabs approach old age and no longer in
crease in size their shells which in youth shed
frequently to accommodate growth OF body, are
often retained several years, and the creatures
become liable to fall victims to the stranges sort
of parasitism. Barnaces and all sorts of marine
growths collect upon the shell, and in many cases
almost completely hide the crab. remarkable
example of this may be seen in the British Muse
um, where has been placed an old crab of the edi-
BILE species, with some half-dozen oysters of large
size fixed to its back, which load ever increasing,
the old crab doomed to carry to the end of its
days. Another curious specimen preserved is
that of hairy crab, which, though not larger it
self than walnut, is saddled with sponge as
big as q mans fist.
SEARCH FOR THE SOUTH POLE.
The increasing difficulty of adding to the worlds
stock of knowledge of the Arctic regions is turn
ing the attention of explorers to the distant
but fresher fields for research lying about the
South Pole. An Antarctic expedition is now be-
ing fitted out by Baron Nordenkjold, and is ex-
pected to leave Sweden in the autumn for an alb
sence of eighteen months; while it is probable
that during the next few years several other ex-
peditions will be attracted to the unknown ice
seas of the Southern Hemisphere.
- PRUssIAN LONGEVITY.
The occurrence of the German Emperors nine
teth birthday has led to the publication in Berlin
of list of all the known persons in the Prussian
kingdom who are older than the sovereign. At
the taking of the census of Dec. 1st, 1885, there
was one man of 120 years, another of lis,
woman of liz, another of lis, and total of 100
persons above the age of 100. Between the ages
of 90 and 100 there were 1879 males and 2,S65
females. An astonishingly large proportion OF
the very age was found in the Province of Siesia,
which seems to be exceptionally favorablly to long
life.
FINE FIBREs.
By the method adopted by Mr.. G. V. Boys, the
British physicist, glass rods are quickly drawn
into very fine fibres by straw arrows shot from
cross-bow. One end of the rod is attached to the
arrow and the other is held in the fingers, the re-
quired temperature being given the centre of the
rod before the bow is released. Glass is thus ex-
tenfea s-.s t,s~s t~ss sh~.ss" sth ~
an inch in diameter; and quartz into threads be-
low one red-thousandth of an inch in thick
ness, which is less than one third as thick as the
spiders web, and only one twentieth as thick as
the silkworm's fibre. The process is also quite
successful with augte feldspar and other minerals
garnet yielding threads of most beautiful colors
when treated at low temperature. AT the read
ing of his recent most interesting paper concern
ing these fine fbres, Mr.. Boys exhibited to the
London Physical Society an annealed glass spiral
capable of quite accurately weighing the milionth
of grain.
A CURIOUS PLANT EFFECT.
The leaves of climbing plant of India, Gym
aena sulrestre, have lately. been discovered to
possess the peculiar property of destroying the
tongues power to appreciate sweets and bitters,
causing quinine and sugar to taste like chalk and
sand. The taste ofpungent and saline substances,
astringents and acids, is not affected. The taste
of the leaves themselves is bitterish, astringent
and slightly acid, and their effect lasts for hour
or two after they have been chewed. In expert
ments in Italy it has been shown that various
drugs affect what to be different sets of taste
nerves, but this plant appears to give more re-
markable results than cocoaine, morphia, or other
substance tried.
Among the many masses of meteoric ison which
have been described, only nine according to Prof.
W. E. Hidden, have been seen to fall, the places
and dates being Agram, Croatia, May 26, 1751
Charlotte, Tenn, Aug. l, 1885; Braunau, Bo-
hemia, July IA, 1s47 Tabarz, Saxony, Oct Is,
1854; Victoria West, Africa, in 1882; Neled,
Arabia, spring of 1865; Nedagolla, India, Jan.
%, 1870; Rowton, Shropshire, Eng, April 20,
1875; Mazapil, Mexico, Nov. 27, 1885.
Though the American Association for the ad-
vancement of Science has honored several COM
paratively small cities with two or three visits
each, it is surprising fact that not one of the
thirty five annual meetings of this national scien
tifc body has been held in New York City, which
has so wonderfully profted by the achievements of
applied science. This year, however, the metrop
oils will entertain the association during the
week commencing Aug. 10.
Unusually low water IN Lake Constance has
been bringing to light many valuable and inter-
esting relics of the prehistoric lake-dwellers.
The nutritive value of mushrooms has been in
vestigatedin Germany by c. 7. Moerner, who
shows that to get an equivalent of an average
hen's-egg person must eat ten and half ounces
of Agaricus campestrs, no less than four pounds
of Polyporus oUinus and that nine pounds of the
former variety or sixty pounds of the latter
would be needed to equal one pound of beef
1aka Oh NJ Con1 10 hou
ing made a common snail carry load of two and
quarter ounces up perpendicular wall, its own
weight being but quarter of an ounce. snail
weighing third of an ounce drew load of seven
teen ounces on horizontal table, and supported
four ounces while crawling on the ceiling. 1t
even climbed a thread with another snail on its
back.
An African arrow-poison, Strophanthus, proves
to be powerful tonic in diseases of the heart,
and the prediction is made that it will supersede
digitals. Its properties were first brought to
notice by Prof. Fraser, of Edinburgh University.
n